Dozens of actresses desperate to cling to fame have increased their celebrity by posing for Playboy. So why does it seem so sad that Lindsay Lohan might be the next one to follow (birthday) suit?

TMZ reported today that the Mean Girls actress – who’s currently in trouble with the law – has agreed to pose for Hugh Hefner’s magazine for nearly $1 million. Her rep told EW he cannot confirm whether or not Lohan will indeed pose, but it wouldn’t be too surprising that a woman who already appeared partially nude for New York magazine would accept a big payday to star in another tasteful shoot. (UPDATE: X17, via People, spoke to Lohan’s mother, Dina, who said Lohan did indeed post for Playboy.) Yet, I can’t help but feel sad hearing this news.

I know plenty of former Lohan fans have grown tired of supporting the actress. She’s been given so many chances – why should we still feel for the actress and her problems? Still, while other fading stars’ jump to Playboy seemed like a natural progression (ex. Debbie Gibson, Shannen Doherty, Lisa Rinna), the thought that Lohan would pose for the magazine just feels desperate. And not in Gibson and Rinna’s dying-to-make-a-headline kind of way. Instead, it seems as though she’s dying to get a headline that doesn’t surround her legal troubles. (Lohan is facing jail time for a possible parole violation.) After all the bad PR surrounding the actress, she needs something to get fans and industry insiders to forget about her substance abuse and legal issues – it might seem like her nude body plastered on the page of a magazine is the only thing to do it. Even though Lohan has certainly made questionable choices in her life, how can you not have sympathy for someone with so few options?

Lohan, in recent years, has become a very public celebrity who has had no qualms talking about her problems with drug use. That’s admirable. But, should she pose for Playboy, she might be revealing simply too much. Her personal and familial problems have been on display for years – convincing her to put her body under the same microscope just feels like exploitation. Here’s hoping she decides to reject Playboy’s offer and continue improving her image in community service, where she can stay far away from mean boys and girls’ prying eyes.

Are you feeling sad for Lohan, PopWatchers, following this news? Or did you expect this years ago?